


Man on a mission

by bea_weasley



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, F/M, Fluff, I love declarations in markets, meet-annoying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27043900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bea_weasley/pseuds/bea_weasley
Summary: James Potter had one thing in mind and nothing would stop him... except that he didn't know Hermione Granger.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/James Potter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 82





	Man on a mission

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to my incredible alpha/soulcrux, who made me ship these two and I decided to write her something, because today is our fifth friendship-sary lol this is for you Ash, another piece to our Fluffy Revolution.
> 
> Warnings: Muggle AU, Hermione is the same age that the Marauders.

**_Man on a mission_ **

James Potter was a man with a mission in mind: he wanted a Pringles Ketchup and nothing was going to stop him, not even the fact that it was close to midnight and he was supposed to be at his dorm studying for his finals, or the look of disapproval that Remus sent on his way out. But Remus didn't understand how important it was for him to get the perfect snack before he could return to study since James couldn't think of anything other than the delicious taste of ketchup-flavoured Pringles.

He was glad that the University of East London had a market which was open 24/7 near their dorm and that's where James was headed. He had visited the store so many times since he had started studying there that he was already friends with the employees and they knew James by name.

"Hey, Sam, how are you on this fine evening?" James asked with a bright smile at the girl that worked at the counter. The girl looked up from her book and frowned at the joyful disposition of James.

"It's almost midnight in finals week, James, how can you be so cheerful?" Sam replied, frowning even more while James' smile widened.

"I'm on a mission, and I know that I'm going to be successful. Also, tomorrow is my last final, so what reasons do I have to _not_ be cheerful?"

"Just go get what you came here for, James, your happy demeanour is giving me a headache." Sam motioned with her hands for James to continue on his way, while he only chuckled in return.

He wandered through the aisles of the store, seeing that he was one of the few people there, looking for his prize. James knew exactly where the Pringles were and he walked to the aisle confidently; what he didn't expect was that in the whole aisle of Pringles, only one Ketchup Pringles rested on the shelf and a girl was already reaching for _his_ Pringles. James wasn't going to let anyone grab his prize, even if he needed to fight for what he wanted. So he sprinted towards the shelf and grabbed the last can of Pringles — along with the girl's hand.

"Excuse me! What do you think you're doing?" the girl shrieked, seeing James wasn't letting go of her hand.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted the Pringles," James said with his mischievous smile. "If you don't mind letting go, I can drop your hand in a second."

"And why would I let go of this? It's my favourite Pringles, it's the last one and I grabbed it _first,_ " she said, glaring in James' direction. James thought that she looked like a kitten with her hair all over the place and that feisty glare: she was _adorable._

"Because you're a better person than me and are going to let _me_ have it before my finals tomorrow," James said with a smirk that had charmed the pants off of every woman he had met… until now.

"Back off, I have finals tomorrow too, so I think I need it more than you," the girl replied, still holding onto the can. James was trying to be nice, but now he was getting annoyed.

" _Puh-lease,_ you don't have any idea what you're talking about. My finals are probably harder than yours." James wasn't going to back down, and he was determined to have his way.

"I doubt that." The girl huffed, trying to look down at James, but her height didn't allow her to do much. James only smiled, which seemed to infuriate her even more. "Fine, what's your final tomorrow?"

"I have _FreeHand and Digital Drawing_ first thing in the morning," James said with his chest somewhat puffed, which made the girl in front of him laugh so hard that she had to bring her hand down — but she still didn't drop his hand.

"Oh, you're so funny! Do you think that that's harder than _my_ final? You're so sweet!" she said, wiping away tears of mirth. James couldn't stop the frown from forming on his face, hearing this stranger mock his major.

"And what, pray tell, is _your_ final since yours is clearly more difficult than mine?" James couldn't stop his sneer.

"Since you asked so nicely," the girl said, dripping sarcasm from her words. "My final is on _Biomedical Signal Processing._ "

James couldn't argue with the girl, thinking that _maybe_ her final was harder than his, but he wasn't going to let her have the Pringles that he was craving since last week. But neither one of them realized that, while they were arguing about whose final was harder, someone else came and grabbed the Pringles that they were so adamant on having.

"Even if your final is _slightly_ more difficult than mine, that doesn't mean that I'm going to let you have the last Pringles, so I'm just going to get it and be out of here," James said with a serious tone and turned to the shelf, just to discover that someone had taken it already. "Where did it go? This is all your fault, you bloody—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, you twit! Probably someone grabbed it while we were busy arguing." The girl huffed and realized that she was still holding James' hand. She dropped it quickly, trying to disguise the blush on her cheeks. "If you excuse me, I'll grab something else and go back to my dorm. Thanks a lot for making me miss out on the best Pringles in the world."

She huffed one more time and, grabbing a Barbecue Lays from the next shelf, she disappeared down the aisle; James still stayed rooted to his spot, not understanding what had happened in that aisle. Shaking his head as if it would help him clear his thoughts, he left the store without buying anything for the first time since he had started studying there.

James knew that Remus would say that it was better to stay at the dorm and study, but James wasn't in the mood for Remus' lecture right now; he could only hope that his friend was sleeping when he got back, but of course, James' luck was running thin tonight.

"Of course I wasn't going to get the only thing that would help with my nerves before a final, and yeah, she was gorgeous in a way but she was also an asshole," James muttered to himself while opening the door to his dorm.

"Who is an asshole?" Remus asked, startling James when he entered their dorm. Remus asked when James entered their room. Remus was surrounded by textbooks and a lot of his notes.

"Some girl that I accidently met at the supermarket," James grumbled to himself, but Remus still could hear, and tried to hide a smile.

"Couldn't find anything that you wanted?" He didn't even look up from his notes, so how did he know that James didn't have anything with him?

"How do you know?" James asked, bewildered, putting his keys in the bowl next to the door.

"You usually come eating whatever you bought, and it's such a loud sound that I can't forget it even if I wanted to," Remus said with a smirk, making James laugh in his direction. "So, the store didn't have what you wanted?"

"Actually, it had, but it was the last one and someone else grabbed it." James huffed, throwing himself onto the bed. "If it weren't for an annoying girl who tried to grab the last Pringles, I could have had it."

"You let a _girl_ grab the last one? How very chivalrous of you, and very unlike you," Remus said, laughing at the annoyed look on James' face.

"No, I didn't _let_ her… while we were arguing, someone else came and took the last can." James still couldn't believe that someone could have sneaked up on him; he was a very perceptive young man. "Now, what am I going to do? I can't function without my pre-pringles-final!"

"For God's sakes, James, here!" Remus said, grabbing a can from his bedside and throwing it at James' head. "Now, let me finish studying."

"But it isn't _ketchup-flavoured_ ," James whined to Remus, who only rolled his eyes and glared at him. "Fine, I'll go eat this and then sleep… without my precious."

"Thank you, good luck on your final tomorrow," Remus said, returning to his book. He was majoring in environmental engineering and has been studying for a while now. James started eating the onion and sour cream, trying to forget the feeling that he had when that girl had held his hand, but it wasn't going away. He sighed and finished the crisps quickly, so he could sleep and ace his final.

* * *

James and Remus finished their finals, passing with flying colours and they decided to celebrate the end of the semester by going out to their favourite pub. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese was the pub where they had spent many nights after failed tests or just to have some fun; Remus didn't want to go to the pub that night though since their friend Sirius was in matchmaking mode again.

Ever since their break-up, Sirius was adamant on finding someone for Remus, even if the other man said that he was fine the way he was. James usually just accompanied them and laughed while Remus had to suffer through the choice of the week; what he didn't know yet was that Sirius had brought someone to meet him.

"Sirius, why can't you let this go? I don't need a date, I'm okay being single for now," Remus said, trying to take a swig of his beer, but Sirius wasn't letting go.

"Remus, I swear! She is perfect for you! She is kind of your female version, but you know, with a sense of humour," Sirius laughed at Remus' grimace.

"Why are you trying to set Remus with someone if you're single, Pads?" James asked, really curious about Sirius' motives.

"Because he needs someone, okay?" Sirius said, dismissing what James had said. "And no need to be jealous, Jamie, I asked her to bring a friend along to introduce to you."

"You did _what_?!" James asked, almost choking on his beer.

"Now, this is something that I wouldn't miss for anything," Remus said, finally drinking his beer and smirking at James. "But you're late Sirius, James is already interested in someone."

"Well, forget her! I've got a better bird for you, I bet. Remus' date mentioned that her friend is just your type," Sirius said, dismissing what Remus had said, and not seeing the way that James was glaring at him.

James didn't need Sirius' help in getting him a girlfriend, or even a date; he was doing well by himself, and if he wanted to go out with someone, _he_ was going to pick someone for him, not get Remus' blind date to bring a friend to introduce him to.

"What have I ever done to you? What could I _possibly_ have done wrong for you to want to set me up on a blind date?" James whined, signalling to the bartender that he wanted a shot.

"Jamie, don't be like that! I promise you'll _love_ the girl! She has many things in common with you, you'll see." Sirius stood up from the table they were sitting at, going to the front of the pub where their unexpected and _unwanted_ dates were waiting.

"If you want to fake a stomachache or something, now is the time," James muttered through gritted teeth to Remus, who only chuckled in response. "C'mon, Moony, why aren't you helping me escape? You know better than anyone how Sirius is."

"For the simple reason that I don't want to do this alone, and I'm interested in what kind of girl Sirius thinks is perfect for you." Remus smiled while James was panicking on the inside. "Chill out, Prongs, they're coming our way."

James was trying to think of a way to run away without having to meet the girl that Sirius thought was the _perfect_ match for him; every time that Sirius had tried to do something like this, James always got the short end of the stick, speaking crassly. He was so distracted that he never saw Sirius approaching their table with the girls in tow.

"Lads, these are the girls I wanted to introduce you to. Lily Evans, this is Remus Lupin," Sirius said, introducing his friend to the pretty redhead, and leaving the small brunette on his side to introduce to James. "James Potter, this is Hermione Granger."

James gave up, seeing that he couldn't escape the blind date anymore, so sighing, he finally decided to look at the girl, and he was instantly left speechless: he recognized the brown locks and that same look when things didn't go the way she wanted. Sirius was trying to set him up with the girl from the market.

"It's good to finally have a name for _the girl who made me miss my late snack,_ " James said with a smirk, messing with his hair.

"Oh, is _he_ the one you were talking about, Mi?" the redhead — _Lily —_ asked Hermione, who only nodded, never taking her eyes off of him.

"I did well, didn't I? I knew they would be a good match, they could even date," Sirius said to no one in particular.

"So you're already talking about me with your friend? Nice of you, kitten," James said, trying to get a reaction out of her. Sadly for James, it was the wrong thing to say.

"I am _not_ going out with this asshole who made me miss out on my favourite Pringles!" Hermione almost yelled in the pub, but she wasn't going to make a scene because of _that_ guy.

" _Excuse me_! _I_ didn't take the last can, someone else grabbed it from us!" James tried to defend himself; he wasn't going to let this girl shout in his face.

"If you hadn't grabbed my hand and tried to be such a smartass, I would have taken that last Pringles and gotten out of there before I ran into _you,_ " Hermione said, huffing and crossing her arms, refusing to look at him for another second. The other three looked at their interaction with widened eyes, without knowing what to do.

"Well… I'm going to grab a pint for me at the bar, you four do whatever you want." Sirius didn't wait long to rush away from the dark atmosphere at the table.

"Lily? Do you think you want to grab something to eat with me?" Remus asked, smiling a little, a hint of a dimple appearing.

"I would love that!" Lily said, not looking at Hermione, sensing that her friend would be glaring in her direction. "Do you want to go to the restaurant on the next corner? It's one of my favourites!"

"Sure, that sounds good!" Remus said, walking out of the pub with Lily, leaving Hermione and James to themselves.

"I wasn't being a smartass yesterday," James grumbled when the silence became insufferable.

"I'm sorry?" Hermione said, turning to look at him.

"I said that I wasn't being a smartass yesterday, I just _really_ wanted that Pringles. Is one of my pre-finals rituals," James said, feeling kinda lame.

"I see…" Hermione said, biting her lip and attracting James' attention to her kissable lips. "I guess you can say that it's one of my rituals too, but any crisps work for me when my favourite isn't available or when my cat steals the can to play with."

"Your cat steals your Pringles and you still keep him around? How can you?" James asked in a teasing tone, but he could see that she was fighting a smile.

"Crookshanks is a perfect cat most of the time, he just has his moments," she said with a small smile that illuminated her whole face.

"Crookshanks? What kind of name is Crookshanks?" James asked, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice, but he couldn't.

"Back off! You don't know him, the name suits him just fine." Hermione grunted, and James wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but he was going to restrain himself. For now.

"This means that someday I could meet Crookshanks?" James asked cheekily.

"I don't know… if you play your cards right, who knows?" Hermione shrugged, but James could see the blush spreading through her cheeks.

"Oh?" James asked, coming closer to her. "I think I know exactly what I need to do." Grabbing her hand without giving her time to think, James bolted from the table and directly to the door, dragging a surprised Hermione with him.

"Goddamn it, I'm an _awesome_ matchmaker!" Sirius said to himself, watching the couple leave the pub.

* * *

"Where are you dragging me, James? And how do I know that you aren't going to kill me?" Hermione cried, her hand still held within James' larger one.

"I won't kill you because I think _you're_ the one who would probably be a serial killer between the two of us," James said, throwing a wink at her.

They were walking for a while and Hermione still didn't have a clue where they were going; James wasn't going to tell her either and Hermione started to grow irritated.

"Can you tell me where we're going or are you going to drag me along all over London?" Hermione asked, pulling on his hand and making him stop.

He almost toppled into her, and Hermione had to put a hand on his chest to make him stop. They looked at each other, for the first time since they had met at the pub, and felt an attraction, something pulling them towards the other, something that _maybe_ was present since the day they had bumped into each other at the supermarket but had been too stubborn to see. And right under a lamppost in the middle of a busy London street, James Potter kissed Hermione Granger.

He kissed her and the world fell away. It was soft and slow, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. She ran her fingers down his spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel his heart pounding against her chest.

They probably would have continued with their tight embrace, if Hermione hadn't abruptly pulled away from him, remembering where they were.

"I'm sorry, I guess I got a little carried away," James murmured, a little ashamed of his behaviour.

"Don't be sorry, I also wanted to kiss you," Hermione said, biting her lip and looking at him through her lashes. "Do you think we can continue walking to where you were dragging me?"

"C'mon, we aren't far now," James said, hugging her to his side and continuing walking.

It didn't take long for them to come to a store which looked a lot like the supermarket they had visited the other night. Hermione couldn't stop the giggling and James smiled, seeing her so carefree.

"You have a thing for stores or you just thought that this was going to be a nice place to come on a date?" Hermione asked him when they entered.

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about, but c'mon!" James said, dragging her to the crisps aisle. When they came there, he didn't think twice before grabbing five cans of Pringles Ketchup, making Hermione laugh.

"Are you planning on keeping a stock or what?" Hermione asked, seeing that James was trying to grab one more can.

"I just wanted to have something to eat, and this thing is never too much," James said walking to the drinks aisle, with Hermione following a little warily behind. "What do you want to drink?"

"Mountain Dew, please. Never mind, I'll grab it," Hermione said grabbing two cans and looking at James. "And you? What do you want?"

"Grab two 7-Ups for me please," James said, looking at her with a small smile on his face. He couldn't stop himself from leaning to kiss her one more time; this time, the kiss was brief, but it left them both wanting more. "Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but do you think we could go to your dorm, eat this delicious _ambrosia_ and get to know each other a little more?"

"Sure, I don't think Lily is going to return soon, and you can even meet Crooks!" Hermione said, smiling brightly, walking to the till to pay. "Are you coming or not?"

James only laughed and followed her, insisting on paying for the food and beverage, ignoring Hermione's protests. They decided to grab a taxi to return home and to spend time snogging on the backseat. Hermione's dorm wasn't far from James' — a fact that he insisted on pointing out, making Hermione roll her eyes — and Crookshanks seemed to love James the moment he laid his yellow eyes on James. They spent their time sitting on the floor, chatting and drinking, sharing their love for the ketchup-flavoured Pringles — even when they were reduced to only one can and had to share it.

"Do you mind sharing the crisps?" James asked with a puppy dog look, complete with a little pout.

"Are you going to do that until I say yes?" Hermione asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"Yep!" James said with a goofy grin which made Hermione smile and lean in to kiss him.

"You're such a dork," she murmured against his lips.

"But I'm _your_ dork now." He kissed her again.

"Keep bringing me ketchup Pringles and that could become a reality," Hermione said, gazing into his eyes.

James would never have imagined that going in a mission to find his favourite crisps would bring him the best girl in the whole world.


End file.
